How To Overcome Laziness And Procrastination When You’re Being Lazy

Let’s be honest: there are times in everyone’s life when we could do we knowing how to overcome laziness and procrastination. Yeah, even those people who pretend to be perfect (come on, you’re not fooling anyone).

Sometimes we have all the motivation in the world. We feel as though we could move mountains with our pinky-finger.

And then there’s those times when we suffer from laziness and procrastination all day long. Those time when we feel as though we couldn’t lift our backsides for all the money in the world. Sure, sometimes it’s because we have no energy / are tired. But it’s often because we plain old can’t be bothered.

And while there are tons of great ways to boost motivation, the truth is that for most people, laziness and procrastination are always right around the corner.

So how do you overcome laziness and procrastination? You start by understanding what laziness and procrastination really are.

What are laziness and procrastination, really? (Hint: Not What You Think)

Before we look at how to stop being lazy and procrastinating, let’s shed some light on what laziness actually is. Because laziness and procrastination have less to do with actually being lazy and much more to do with negativity [read: How to remove negativity from your mind]

Humanity suffers from a mass misconception of laziness.

Many people, if not most people, consider laziness the “desire to do nothing.”

People who sit in front of the TV all day are regarded as “Wanting to do nothing more than watch programs.” You know the old saying. “Don’t you want to do something with your life?!”

Between the ages of twelve and sixteen many people would have considered me myself lazy. And I would not blame them. I did spend most of my days playing video games. This wasn’t due to lack of desire to be active, however. It was due to fear.

Bullied at school and living in a home where my father’s alcoholism was the cause of much fighting, I was paralysed by fear.

I longed to always be in my bedroom simply because my bedroom was safe.

I played video games because they occupied my mind, because when I was playing games I was not thinking about being bullied or dealing with my father’s alcoholism. By being inactive, I felt safe.

How To Stop Being Lazy And Procrastinating [7 Ways]

1: Overcome the fear that is the real cause of laziness and procrastination

It is fear that stops us, deep down, even if we do not realise it at first (many fears are hidden deep down in our subconscious).

Fear, of course, takes different forms.

Some people are afraid of being judged by others—the inactive overweight person we call “Lazy” is likely afraid of being insulted should they attempt to exercise. Some are afraid of doing things incorrectly—the child called “Lazy” by his parents is often afraid of being told, yet again, that he’s doing something “Wrong.” There are myriad examples of the same issue, where “laziness” has been caused by fear.

2 :Stop Being Lazy And Procrastinating By Rewarding Your Efforts

One of the most common causes of laziness and procrastination is in not seeing the point in your actions.

Laziness can arise when we have tried very hard at something only to be disappointed with the results of our efforts.

These past experiences can make us feel that there’s no reason to bother at all because our efforts won’t end in the results we want anyway.

To overcome laziness and procrastination, you need to learn that making an effort is enough of a positive in itself, regardless of extrinsic rewards.

Every time you make a real effort to do something, reward yourself for the effort, regardless of the results.

For instance, if you want to save money, say £100, and you tried very hard but only managed to save £40, reward yourself regardless because this will reinforce the value of effort in itself and will make you more likely to try as hard, if not harder, in the future.

3: When you’re being lazy and procrastinating, re-aim your focus

To overcome laziness and procrastination, look for the areas of your life that you would like to improve. Next to each of the following write a sentence describing what you would like to happen for each.

So, to know how to stop being lazy and procrastinating, start by focusing on something.

3: How to stop being lazy and procrastinating by setting a goal

Another great way to overcome laziness and procrastination is to set a goal.

The best and most well practiced self improvement exercise for creating motivation is to have in mind a detailed and exciting picture of where you want to be / what you want to achieve.

Try to decide on one thing in life that you really want to happen (these life goals might give you some ideas). Make it something that is meaningful, of value and fairly challenging but not impossible. Something that you know you could achieve if you tried really hard.

Once you have decided on this one goal, try to imagine what your life would be like the moment after you achieve the goal. How would you feel? What would you see? What would you hear? For instance, if your goal was to be slim when you get married, imagine seeing yourself looking slim in the mirror, imagine what people would say to you and how you would feel. Vividly create a mental image (visualize) of what success would mean to you. Every time you begin to feel lazy, bring this image to mind to rejuvenate your motivation.

4: Set Triggers to Actions

One of the key tools used in neuro linguistic programming is the idea of triggers, which essentially states that our actions are the result of external triggers.

For instance, when you see “12:30” on your clock at work, you know you’ll be heading to the canteen.

These actions are automatic. You don’t think before doing them. You don’t think, “Well, the clock says twelve so I ought to take the sandwich bag out. . . “ no, you just do it, automatically.

Aim to make use of the nature of triggers by associating positive action to triggers you know will happen.

For instance, instead of saying to yourself “I’ll go for a run three times a week” say “When I hear the exit-theme of the five o’clock news I’ll put my jogging shoes on and head out the door.” This helps to ground your positive actions in the real world.

This is a really powerful way how to stop being lazy and procrastinating.

# 5: Watch Movies about Perseverance and Hard Work

Some fantastic movies have been released over the years that are brilliant at motivating viewers to work.

Since you’re being lazy at the moment anyway and possibly sat in front of the TV already, why not stay there but simply put on a movie or two that will actually inspire you to overcome laziness and to begin to work harder? You’ll find a list of movies about hard work and perseverance here: Hard work & Perseverance.

6: Novelty

Finally, do something right now that you would never normally do. There is nothing like the unfamiliar to stir a spark in you. Do something new and fun and witness the heightened energy it creates in you.

7: Use This Meditation For Lazy People

There are lots of different ways how to stop being lazy and procrastinating. My personal favorite it to use a specific meditation technique for laziness.

There are a great many techniques that can be used to cure fear and “Laziness.” They include Zen, Transcendental Meditation Technique, Buddhist techniques and more.

If you want to know more about meditation, take a look at my comprehensive guide to more than 30 different meditation techniques.

All major meditation techniques have already been covered, in detail, in TheDailyMeditation.com’s guide Your Best Meditation [eBook]. But there is one technique which is so effective at treating “Laziness” that it merits additional coverage here: Water meditation.

On Water Meditation Technique and How to Do Water Meditation

To view “Laziness and procrastination” through the eyes of a poet, we might say, “The lazy person is as the stubborn rock in the middle of a stream; they refuse to move even as the water flows all around them.” The “Couch Potato” sits there, unmoving, as life happens around them, much as the rock sits in the centre of the stream, refusing to flow with the tide. If only we could make the lazy person move with the life around them, we would end “Laziness.”

The trick to overcoming laziness and procrastination is to be more free. Or, to be more specific, we must free the mind to move. We must eliminate fear, that great spiritual anchor. Once fear has been lifted the lazy person will find the freedom to be active once more.

Nothing is so free as water, so perhaps it is only fitting that water meditation be so effective at freeing the mind. When we meditate on water, we encourage our minds to let go, to live in the moment, to be free and, as water, to find stillness in motion.

How to do water meditation technique to overcome laziness and procrastination:

Meditating on water is one of the most enjoyable of all meditation techniques. It is immensely relaxing and very rewarding. It is also rather simple. Here’s how to do it.

1) Find a source of water somewhere quiet. For the perfect technique, try either a fast moving river or waterfalls. Failing these, you may likewise sit beside the bath with the tap on.

2) Close your eyes for five minutes and listen to the flow of the water. Permit your mind to let go and be one with the flow of the water.

3) Now open your eyes and watch the water as you listen to it. Imagine the water carrying away your thoughts. Imagine your mind flowing freely with the water.

4) You may choose to actually get in the water. If you do so, focus on the feeling of the water on your body and ask the water to carry away your stress and concerns.

5) Continue focussing on the water for a minimum of ten minutes.

6) Afterwards, say to yourself, “I will flow freely as water.” Make this your mantra for the next week.

Flow freely like water. Let go of fear and apprehension and you will naturally overcome laziness. Water is one of the most powerful forces in the world, constituting more than 75% of the planet and powering nature and life. Find the essence of water in your spirit and you will likewise discover the true power within.

So there we have it, the best ways how to stop being lazy and procrastinating. If you know any great ways to stop being lazy and procrastinating leave a comment. Thanks.